Thursday, April 24, 2008

Instead...

...of a real post, today I present a still life entitled, This Is Why I Am Not Giving You a Real Post Today.

The book deadline approacheth. Apparently there have been pre-orders, and not all of them are my mother, so I have to finish on time. Above you can see seven (out of seventy-five*) inked cartoons on the drawing table, each awaiting the finishing touches of watercolor wash as needed.

This isn't the sum total of my progress, of course. It's just that I'm having trouble sending the other finished panels to Interweave because once they go into print I can never, ever change them.

That's been the biggest surprise of this whole process–the realization that at some point, final art is final.

It's enough to make my hands shake, so I try not to think about it. Nonetheless, my usual creepy-crawly line may look a little creepy-crawlier when the book is published.

*Somebody asked whether the book will be new material or stuff from the blog. Both. Some of the cartoons will have appeared here, but the majority are previously unpublished and all but one will be completely re-drawn. Some essays will incorporate material I've used before but, again, I'm reworking everything and much is brand new. OhgodIneedadrink.

59 comments:

Dora
said...

De-lurking here to say I've been reading your blog for a while now and get quite a laugh! I like seeing the objects people place on shelves at their desk environment. I did spy the Orthodox icon on the far right of the bottom shelf. Being Greek Orthodox myself,as well as an artist, it made me feel somehow connected to your space!

I didn't realize how deeply your last post had affected me until I dreamed that you and I were having tea and my homemade brownies while your Dolores and Harry and my Henry rough-housed in my living room. We kept yelling at them to settle down, but Dolores was kicking Henry's arse on the Wii and he was sulking rather loudly. (I don't own a Wii, so that's what gave it away as a dream.)

I will of course buy your book, but I would rather my copy be autographed and I read someone wanted a "Harry" tattoo - way cool, I wouldn't have thought of that. Hang in there, the book is going to be fabulous, daahling!

We KNOW you don't drink. So get back to the drawing board. Your space is so white, yet full of good karma. I thought I might see Harry sitting on the shelf to assist your concentration.Book, book, book - can't wait.

It's like when I agonize over picking the blue one or the green one for a friend. The friend never saw the choice & is perfectly charmed without the angst. We will see the finished art as the only possible way it could be. We won't be able to even imagine it any other way. We will love it. You have a proven track record making us laugh.

I actually see my teddybear's cousin on that shelf and I am SO not surprised. It's true, this book is for US, and we LURVE you and we're patient. My mother always used to say "Good things come in small packages." No, wait - she always said "Be sure you're wearing clean underwear in case you get hit by a truck." OH for petessakes -- What I meant to say was, she used to say "Anything worth having is worth waiting for." Hokay then.

I hear you. We always want to tweak the drawing just a bit, to change just one more word (I'm a writer and artist too, so I feel your pain.) Of course, if you go to slow, Delores will rip it all out of your hands and finish it for you.

It is not final just because it is printed. If you read an first printing of "The Hobbit" it is different than printings from the 60's. Tolkien went back and 'fixed' the riddle scene with Gollum in the cave, because the published version didn't fit with the story in "Lord of the Rings."

Once it is sent to Interweave, it is 'a' version. Maybe it is the final version, and maybe it is not.

If you ever make it up Boston way, I'll make another batch of my strawberry daiquiri swirl (vanilla ice cream swirled with strawberry daiquiri sorbet), and make sure you have a good drink to go with it. My hubby will approve of having more ice cream in the house!

I was giggling most about the alt text for the pic. "Still Life with AAAAAUUUGGGHHH." Hee! Ohgawd.

I won't tell you to relax - that doesn't happen in situations like this. I am shoving some Xanax through the modem, plus some homemade brownies. And you might want to temporarily remove the wee Dolores or two I see standing on the shelves, all ready to dive in and take over. Sort of like a vulture hovering--

Um. That wasn't helpful at all, was it? ::shoves more Xanax through modem:: You can do it! Then collapse afterwards. ::hugs::

Your workroom looks so wonderfull and it gave me a sentimental feeling about my youth with all the toys around you. Must be great to make your drawings in such an inspirational room. Is it correct that I see a dutch delft blue souvenir there from a boy and girl kissing eachother (or is it 2 boys?)

I'm trying to work out on the Interweave site how to order your book internationally, seeing as 1-800 numbers don't work for the UK. I'd better figure it out soon or I'll start having spasms. Or too much strong booze.

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